The ingredients and amounts are determined by a heaping teaspoon of hair from the back of their head that has been sent to Trace Elements, a lab in Addison, Texas, to be burned and analyzed. Nutrients inside a strand of hair are indicative of what's inside muscle tissue.

All of this science is used to combat muscle fatigue and prevent injuries on the ice and to accelerate recovery, especially important at this point of the season, with just five regular-season games left starting tonight against the Thrashers.

"At the end of the season, you need energy, your body kind of goes into overtime," Dvorak said. "This kind of thing helps you to realize that."

Dvorak's shakes have been supplemented with extra magnesium, and since the veteran has found his muscles feel better on the ice, he recovers faster after games and sleeps better at night.

"It's not enough for him to notice symptoms," O'Brien said, "but it's enough for it to affect his athletic performance at a really, really high level."

O'Brien said the high level of uranium is probably attributed to Skrastins growing up in Latvia, some 300 miles from the 1986 nuclear explosion at Chernobyl, in what is now Ukraine. Heavy doses of zinc and iron for six months lowered Skrastins' uranium level considerably.

"It gives you some answers about what your body needs," Skrastins said.

Added Booth: "That's something I thought I didn't need. I was, like, 'I take a multivitamin. I should be all set.' But [the results] came back and I was shocked I was actually deficient in a lot of things."

The customized shakes don't have much impact on an athlete at a recreational level, O'Brien said, but it makes a difference at the NHL level.

Former Panthers forward Gary Roberts, who retired this season at 42 years old, said he played as long as he did because of his emphasis on nutrition. Roberts was sending in his hair samples to the Texas lab before he joined the Panthers four seasons ago.

"Between 20 and 30 you can get away with not eating and training exactly right," he said. "But after you get over 30, if you're not going extra off the ice, you're not going to have a chance at longevity in the National Hockey League."